Force distribution in a two dimensional sandpile

Abstract

We have constructed a discrete element computational code which solves the equations of motion that describe particle-particle interactions. As a first example we have applied the code to a two dimensional triangular pile of discrete particles. We take this to be a two dimensional analogue of a conical pile of particulate material. With this simple model, we try to understand—with partial success—the experimental results of Smid and Novosad ( I. Chem. E. Symp., 63 (1981) D3/V/1) which show a counter-intuitive dip in the normal stress underneath the highest section of the pile. We also obtain two separate analytic models, one based on recurrence relations and the other on a continuum approximation, to describe the force distribution inside a two dimensional pile of particulate material.